Dim sum. Thai spring rolls. Even enchiladas.

These days, they all can be purchased kosher. And last week, a Dunkin' Donuts branch in Skokie obtained certification, the second in the Chicago area.

Throughout the region, kosher food has surged in popularity. Two decades ago, few chefs other than those serving deli and Middle Eastern fare abided by the Jewish laws of kashrut. But these days, the area has more than 30 certified kosher restaurants.

For food to be classified as kosher, it has to be prepared under a strict set of guidelines outlined in the Old Testament. Above all, meat cannot be mixed with dairy, pork and shellfish are not allowed, animals must be slaughtered in the most humane way possible, and a rabbi must oversee the whole process.

In recent months, two new establishments--one Yemenite and the other Moroccan--received kosher approval.

With at least three more seeking approval, the number is likely to keep growing, as eateries that span continents of flavor are catering to a Jewish population that is more in touch with its roots and a public that sees kosher cooking as a healthy alternative.

"We've seen a real increase," said Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz, head of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, the city's largest certifying organization.

But while that's good news for the region's Orthodox leaders who believe in the moral purity of kosher food, the upsurge in the number of restaurants seeking rabbinical approval has forced these same leaders to navigate complex themes in Jewish law--and spend considerable time doing so.

Under halacha, or Jewish law, strict codes enforce rules that otherwise might be considered restraint of trade. For example, if one dry cleaner has been in business for a long time and a second wishes to set up shop on the same street, a tenet of halacha called the law of competition would prohibit him from doing so.

The only instance in which the second dry cleaner could start a business is if the competition would result in substantially lower prices or better products. And that's up to a court of rabbis to decide.

More seek certification

The law of competition has come under increasing scrutiny as more restaurants seek kosher certification. The precept is only enforced in Orthodox communities. But because kosher certification requires approval from Orthodox rabbis, the halacha is gaining new relevance.
 

"It's a dilemma that we deal with all the time," said Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, who oversees the Chicago Rabbinical Council's kosher division. "On the one hand, we want to protect our current members, and they're saying, `Help. Don't let new places be certified.' At the same time, we want to make sure there's the variety that Chicagoans want for places to eat."

When kosher restaurants feel that the law of competition has been breached, they bring their case to a court of rabbis.

At the Chicago council, Schwartz and two other rabbis serve as arbiters. They sit before a bench in elevated chairs, underneath the words, "You shall pursue justice," which comes from the Torah. Fishbane then introduces the case, and the two opposing sides make their pitches.

In the end, the three rabbis have the final word.

That procedure took place most recently when the chef of one kosher bakery left to work for a new one. The baker's first employer alleged that his competitor violated Jewish law by luring away his livelihood--in this case the baker. The second employer argued that the baker had volunteered to work at his establishment.

In the end, the court determined that the baker had left on his own and that no breach of Jewish law had taken place.

More frequently, Fishbane said, rabbis sort through the law of competition preemptively.

"It's something we look at when we certify," he said. "We try to make sure that the new place isn't the same thing right next to somebody else, or tha ' a different kind of restaurant. We steer them in that direction."

Just two weeks ago, for instance, a council of 15 rabbis assembled around a long oak table to deliberate whether a suburban establishment was eligible for kosher certification.

After 3 1/2 hours, they concluded that the new restaurant would not inflict direct competition, and that the eatery could apply for certification.

Fueling the new demand for kosher restaurants has been a confluence of religious and social trends.

Kosher, Islamic rules similar

Religiously, more Jewish people are eating kosher. At the same time, halal cooking, a set of Islamic regulations, is so similar to Jewish rules that many Muslims are eating kosher.

There still are many Jewish diners who don't go out of their way to eat kosher for religious reasons, said Joan Nathan, author of "Jewish Cooking in America," a best-selling cookbook.

But she added: "There's a tremendous number who are starting to care more, and that's who the restaurants are catering to. There's more fundamentalism in everything, and there are more people who want to be in touch with their roots. Being in touch with your roots as a Jew means being in touch with kashrut."

Many non-Jews are eating kosher, too.

Menachem Lubinsky, president of Integrated Marketing Communications, which monitors the kosher industry, estimates that of about 11 million kosher consumers, only 2.5 million are Jewish.

"The kosher market goes well beyond the Orthodox Jews," he said. "You have Reform Jews, Conservative Jews, vegetarians, Muslims, and people who believe kosher food is healthier."

Lubinsky calculates that U.S. sales of certified kosher foods totaled $165 billion in 2002, up from $45 billion in 1996.

For consumers, the growth in culinary options has made keeping kosher a lot easier.

"There's a worldliness and sophistication that's now tied to being kosher. We don't want to sacrifice good taste, and now we don't have to," said Marc Slutsky, a Highland Park resident who frequents the region's Chinese, Italian, Mexican and Thai kosher restaurants. "In some ways, hummus has replaced chopped liver as the primary Jewish spread."


For a list of Chicago area kosher restaurants, go to chicagotribune.com/kosher

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